No-nonsense checklist for moving in and setting up your new home

The move is looming, and excitement, as well as some trepidation, mounts. You have the movers ready, the small things in boxes, the house cleaned and ready to vacate. But what about where you are headed? Is your new home as ready to receive you as you are to move in? There are a few considerations when setting up your new home that are well worth thinking about before you even make the move from your old one.

Setting up a new home

The importance of setting up your new home the way you want it from the beginning can’t be over stressed. The effort required to move is usually huge, and once you have settled in it’s unlikely that you will want to move things around again. Also, planning how your new home will be before you move will smooth out the move considerably:

• First, simply take some time to plan how you want to use each room and what major furniture will go in it. It is worthwhile assessing the workability and comfort of the way you had your old home set up, as this can give you some ideas about changes that would make life more comfortable
• Get your electricity, phone, internet and gas connections organised way ahead of time. If you need to clean before moving in, you’ll need the electricity on a little earlier, but have these utilities hooked up by a day or two before you arrive, and check that they are working the day before you move in
• Consider the needs of your pets. Take the time to ensure that they have a safe, comfortable environment already set up before they arrive. Travelling can be hard on animals, so ease their difficult transition as much as possible. Check any fences to ensure that your dog stays where he is safe
• If you have small children, you no doubt ‘baby proofed’ your old house, but have you done the same with the new one? If you can’t get access, at least set up one safe room before you arrive. Older kids need safety considerations too, such as a safe yard and play equipment, and ensure that any pools are adequately fenced
• Minimise! Use your move as an opportunity to avoid transferring the old mess, and to avoid collecting new mess
• Set up the essentials first. Upon arrival, set up your bed, the kitchen and the bathroom first, so that you can at least have a wash, a meal and go to bed! You’ll need it, after a tiring day of moving

Moving successfully is largely a matter of planning the setting up of your new home in advance.

New home: Setting up

The most important consideration when moving to a new home is planning how to set it up to ensure that the move goes smoothly and that you will enjoy your new space. Consider the immediate needs of you, your children and pets upon arrival, and project into the future a little to assess how you want your new home to look and function, for the most successful move.